Gender and European external relations: Dominant discourses and unintended consequences of gender mainstreaming

Abstract

This paper presents a critical assessment of the unintended consequences of gender mainstreaming when applied to European external relations. It seeks to address two distinct but interrelated questions: 1) has gender mainstreaming, as a strategy and political objective, fulfilled its potential? and 2) what kind of gender order is emerging in the context of a wider European equality agenda, which includes external relations within its remit. Using discourse analysis it will identify the dominant gender discourses in European external relations and foreign policy documents and compare this to the overarching aims of equality principles enshrined within the Treaties. It will look specifically at the European Neighbourhood Policy as it provides a useful starting point and areas of comparison given its similarity, in terms of power relations between the EU and third countries, to the process of enlargement. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.